Once Pure

De: Cecy Robson

Narrado por: Mercedes Moreno

RITA AWARD FINALIST

She bears the scars of the past. He blames himself for things he can't control. Their defenses are up, but in Cecy Robson's latest Shattered Past novel - perfect for fans of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn - true love lands a knockout punch.

Sofia Tres Santos remembers a time before her life went sour, before her innocence was ripped away, before she began punishing herself with risky behavior and unworthy men. Now, at 20, she just hopes she's ready to rebuild some of what she lost. One way or another, it always comes back to her childhood friend and longtime crush, Killian O'Brien.

As strong as Killian is, Sofia has always been his one weakness. He knows Sofia has suffered and wants to ensure she's never hurt again - not like before, and definitely not under his watch. When Sofia agrees to work at his mixed martial arts gym, Killian seizes the opportunity to help and protect the sweet girl he's always cared for. And yet, as he trains Sofia to defend herself using his hard-hitting MMA techniques, he's drawn to the vulnerable beauty in ways he never expected. As Sofia grows stronger, she also grows brave enough to open herself up to love. And along the way, she challenges everything Killian believes to be true, showing him that no matter how much he dominates in the ring, the real battle is fought in the heart.

©2015 Cecy Robson, LLC (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The sexual tension between Sofia and Killian is super steamy; the passion builds with every page." (RT Book Reviews)

"Sexy and heartbreaking, Once Pure is an excellent, emotional read." (New York Times best-selling author Monica Murphy)

loved it

great book.  I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading more books from this author in the future.

good but last chapter was wasted

l loved the book but the finished 15 minutes was wasted going over the whole book that i just listened too.

Good Story

4 Stars for me!

My rating range throughout the story... 3.25 - 4.25 Stars

Main Character Ratings... H = 7 Stars - h = 6 Stars

Scenes with heat..several

Heat Rating... 7/10 Stars
Clean - 1 or 2
Descriptive Sex - 5 or above
Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above

The back story... The H was abused by her father and raped as a teenager and then she made some self destructive choices. The H seems ultra normal but has secrets of his own.

The Romance... Very slow burn as they liked each other for years but neither took a chance. It builds through the story.

The drama explosion... The h has a dramatic secret released and not much after that, she learns one of the H's secrets.

Final Notes... Good story with tough subject lines.

HEA or HFN? HEA

Love, love, love

Loved this story, as with the other books in this series. brought me to tears, and I really loved following all the lives that came together in this series.

will be listening again!!

None of this series is a happy from beginning to end kinda story but ALL in this series will have you crying happy and sad tears in between LITERALLY laughing out loud and falling in love with these ppl.. one of the best series in the plus catalog I've listened to. :)

another great story

(Killian & Sophia): TRIGGERS: child abuse, molestation and rape. Finally, we get the story of the youngest in the Tres Santos family. Sophia has been in love with Killian for a long time but she's shy and she tends to flinch around men. She's had a rough childhood with an abusive father and a dark secret. Killian was friends with her brother but he was her friend first, he's had a thing for her for a long time, so when she shows up to work for him, he thinks this is his chance. Living in the same neighborhood, Killian's life was just as hard but his huge family is there to help soften the blow. This story will seriously have you on the brink of tears in almost every chapter. It's not just a romance, the author will actually take you on a journey through their past, their traumas and their bumpy roads in their relationship. Not only is Killian's family present in this book, Mateo and Evelyn make an appearance as well to show much needed support to Sophia. I really loved the final book of this series.

Liked this story the best…

I liked this book the best. Although, you could just listen to the last chapter and you get the whole story in a nutshell!

Couldn’t put it down!

I love the way Mercedes Moreno reads these stories. She makes the book hard to put down.

Great series

Thoroughly enjoyed this series and all the characters…. Each story is unique and promising!!! Definitely worth the read!!

Sofia’s triumph!

Sofia Tres Santos is young (20-years old) but has already faced a lot of suffering. Her highly-abusive father regularly beat her and her siblings and she was raped as a teen. She was so traumatized that she then engaged in risky, demoralizing behavior. Now she’s taken control of her life and is going to school and working for Killian O’Brien, an MMA fighter who she grew up with and has secretly admired. He’s highly protective of her, harboring some guilt regarding the violence of her past.

This was the story I waited for as Sofia has healed so much since the first story. She’s still suffering from crippling fear whenever she feels threatened and her own painful sins of her past resurface at embarrassing moments. I loved how she faced these circumstances head on and took steps to try and overcome them. Her relationship with Killian developed rather sweetly and I liked his patience with Sofia, putting her needs ahead of his own even when it was difficult.

The new adult genre can be challenging for me as it’s often fraught with lots of miscommunication and flight is typically the first response to conflict. There’s some of that here but not protracted and it’s eclipsed by the tenderness of the story and well developed characters. The horrific nature of Sofia’s past was handled deftly, nothing gratuitous in the describing as the focus was on her feelings rather than the acts. I felt the degradation, not the physical aspects, which is really great writing.

I liked the narrator who captured the heart of Sofia. She told the story without dramatic embellishment, important giving the topics. I enjoyed so much about this story, primarily Sofia’s triumph and experiencing the little and major milestones. This was a fitting conclusion to the series, especially as the characters from the previous books were also featured substantively. And, you’re in for a real treat with the epilogue. Now that’s how you write an ending!

(I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)